John Herdman

Head Coach of the Canadian Women’s Soccer Team | Analyst, CBC Sports: World Cup

As the Head Coach of the Canadian Women’s Soccer Team, John Herdman took a group once called a “struggling squad” to one that has captured the hearts and minds of Canadians. Under his leadership, the team won the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, and also took a gold medal at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Mexico―the first Pan Am gold in Canadian soccer history. In his riveting talks, Herdman―who was a nominee for 2012 FIFA Coach of the Year―stresses the importance of developing a high performance culture, learning to overcome adversity with grace, and the role of leaders to inspire trust, confidence, and success, whether it’s on the field, in the workplace, or in the home.

Prior to leading the Canadian team, Herdman was the former head coach of the New Zealand Women’s National Football team from 2006-2011, where his players saw competition at the FIFA Women’s World Cups in 2007 and 2011, and at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Herdman also held the position of New Zealand’s Director of Football Development, where he introduced changes that have revolutionized how soccer is organized and delivered with his award-winning “Whole of Football Plan.”

In 2015, Herdman led the Canadian Women’s Team at both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the PAN AM Games, where Canada played host to each.

As a broadcaster, Herdman acted as a CBC sports analyst during the network’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup in 2014, and is frequently called upon by media for commentary.